Choripanes!

Choripanes were invented in Argentina, but similar sandwiches are eaten in Uruguay, Brazil, and Chile. Choripán is a portmanteau of chorizo and pan — sausage and bread — but that’s not all there is to it. Chimichurri is what makes the sandwich famous.

Chimichurri is a fresh salsa based on oil and vinegar and parsley, with various other ingredients added depending on the cook. Garlic in some amount is always present; onions or shallots sometimes; red pepper flakes in whatever amount you desire; oregano and bay leaf; some recipes use a combination of cilantro and parsley, as well.

The recipe here is the basic recipe my friend Carlos prefers and it’s damn good. If you want to personalize it, add some minced shallot or a bit more red pepper. Do try to use a nicely flavored olive oil, since it is such a prominent ingredient.

If you live in Texas, chorizo Argentino can sometimes be found at the Fiesta grocery chain. If you can’t find that, it’s very similar to Italian sausage and those will work fine. Mexican chorizo is too heavily seasoned and doesn’t work as well with the chimichurri. If you like blood sausage (morcilla) and can find it, a variation of choripanes called morcipanes can also be made.

For the bread, be sure to use a crusty French baguette. Easy Tiger in Austin makes the best in town, most similar to the crusty bolillos found in Mexico. Elsewhere, visit the best bakery you can find and choose a baguette with a dark golden, thick crust. This is important so that the bread can stand up to the sausage juices and the hefty slathering of chimichurri. Softer breads will disintegrate.

Make the chimichurri first (you can make it a day ahead, too, and refrigerate as long as you bring to room temperature before serving):

In a large bowl, whisk together everything except oil and parsley. Once combined, slowly whisk in oil to emulsify. Stir in parsley. Allow to sit at room temperature 30 minutes for the flavors to develop.

Meanwhile, heat a grill. For indoor grills, set to high heat; for outdoor grills, set to medium-high.

Once hot, grill chorizo links on all sides, turning every 2 minutes or so, until casings are crisp and the sausages are beginning to split open.

Place on a cutting board and cut each sausage lengthwise.

Place cut-side down onto the grill for 2 more minutes to ensure thorough cooking and get some char on the insides of the sausages. This may take 10-15 minutes depending on the heat of your grill.

Slice the baguettes lengthwise and fill with sausage.

Liberally douse with chimichurri, then cut the giant sandwich into 4 inch lengths for serving.

Serve with plenty of napkins, beer, and more chimichurri or hot sauce.

Comments

At a farmers market near me, Il Bastone is a vendor who makes artisanal Argentine foods. They make at least three varieties of Argentine chorizo, e.g., criollo, gaucho, and picante. Which would you suggest for choripanes, or does it matter? I probably will try their takeaway choripanes first.

I don’t know about that. The chorizo we bought didn’t have any other descriptor, but it definitely was not picante. Though I think picante would be good. I’d ask the vendor which they recommend. And definitely try one of their choripanes, too, so you can compare it with this recipe! I’m curious.

I went to the Saturday Community Farmers’ Market in Fairfax City, VA, today and had one of Il Bastone’s choripanes, a choripán piqante. Here are the photos. The sandwich was really delicious, probably because they make their own chorizo and chimichurri, but I think they could have been more generous with the chimichurri. Here is a link to Il Bastone’s website.

hi I’m from Uruguay and a student of culinary school, first and foremost a choripan is not an Argentinian invention It’s origin its unknown but definitely occurred in the rio de la plata region. Grat Stone you can make a choripan with those three types of chorizos even tho traditionally its not made with a picante one. Try a morcipan! they are delicious just make sure they/you don’t overcook the morcilla it dries very easily. There are also thousands of variations of chimichurri in my household was made with brown mustard and tomato paste as as an addition and lemon juice instead of vinegar. saludos

My husband and I are members of a local meat-based CSA down here in San Antonio, so most of our meals are based around what kind of meat we get every week. But I am definitely trying this next time we get sausage from them, which should be pretty soon, it’s been a few weeks since we’ve gotten any. This looks amazing…I was really worried the parsley was cilantro at first, which tastes like soap to me. Glad that wasn’t the case. 🙂

Pretty tasty sandwiches. I used hot Italian since there is no hope of finding Argentinian chorizo around here. I am dragging out the BBQ next time however as I think that will improve the flavour of the sausages. This was a very nice change of pace to my usual sausage on a bun toppings.

Italian sausages work ok, if chorizos not available but they ussually have too much fennel and no wine like real chorizos. I’m from Uruguay living in NY and run into the same problem of not findin chorizos easily, just bout a meat grinder and I’ll be making chorizos caseros tomorrow. saludos

I have to say. The chimichurris sauce and really crusty bread makes this dish, A big hit with the Mama’s
Also did the brisket.. Turned out well..froze half of it but realized I need a decent oven thermometer.
Thanks for this good info.Looking foward to your arroz con pollo

I haven’t made it to Fiesta for the Argentine chorizo, yet. But I made the Chimichurri and it’s the best I’ve ever had. I’ve put it on just about everything I’ve grilled lately. Can’t wait to make the choripanes. BTW, as I was searching for a recipe to make Argentinian chorizo (I make a lot of sausage myself) and Google came up with way more choripane recipes than chorizo recipes. The two I actually looked at were abominations. One suggested that if Argentinian sausage wasn’t available, hotdog franks were acceptable. It looked like she was using hotdog buns, too.

Thanks for the Easy Tiger recommendation! I used to bake pretty decent baguettes myself, but it’s really not practical to bake them for just one person. Oh, hold the phone. I just googled Easy Tiger. They’re not just a bakery, but a beer garden as well!

Oh yeah, you have to check out Easy Tiger! There’s a great outdoor patio area on the creek with table tennis and picnic tables.
I’ve got a book on sausage making (I think it’s just called “Sausage Making”) and when I get unpacked and find it, I’ll see if there’s a recipe similar. I’ve made Mexican chorizo before, but it’s quite different from the Argentinian.

You guys are a trip – made me LOL. And omg that sammich looks good. Lots of Mexican grocery stores and carnicerias here in Denver so I’m definitely gonna be making this. Thanks! You have a new fan of your videos. 🙂 Hey see if Carlos makes… Corn in a cup? I’ve been making a South American version that has avocado mixed with crema, lime, cilantro, garlic and maybe other stuff I can’t remember right now, and topped with crumbly cheese (I think you called it chihuahua cheese), and sprinkled with cayenne. To die for!! Kind of like your grilled corn recipe – same thing but only different.

Hi Joy!
I think if you follow the grilled corn recipe, but cut the roasted kernels off and mix them with lime juice, crema, Tajin and sprinkle with cotija cheese it’ll be pretty close to the corn you are looking for, aka “elote en vaso”.

Hi, I’m Hilah!

I create short-form, educational, and occasionally hilarious cooking videos geared towards beginner and intermediate cooks, as well as people who are just looking for simple, low-cost recipes. Everything is made from scratch, people! Read More…